By MEG KINNARD

May 14, 2020

Video Produced by The Carolina Agency

May 14, 2020

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — In a new video featuring some of the state’s notable residents, South Carolina’s lieutenant governor is promoting an effort to encourage residents to participate in the U.S. Census this year.

Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette heads up the state’s Complete Count Commission, a collaborative effort of hundreds of governmental officials and community leaders focused on promoting census completion. In a video released Wednesday, Evette says that census participation “shapes the future of programs in South Carolina.”

The 90-second video features cameos from a number of notable South Carolinians. Officials including U.S. Sens. Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott and Grammy Award-winning musician Darius Rucker explain the impact of the census and tick off ways its data helps officials determine allocations like local funding for schools and disaster response efforts.

U.S. Rep. Jeff Duncan notes that census data also helps shape “representation in Congress,” although South Carolina – which gained a U.S. House seat after the 2010 census – is not forecast to do so again after 2020.

The video was produced in a partnership with the Carolina Agency, a student-run, full-service communications agency out of the University of South Carolina.

South Carolina is currently 38th in the nation for responding to the 2020 census.